THE troubled NHS 111 ­service has been thrown into ­turmoil after a major ­provider said it was pulling out because of financial problems.

NHS Direct runs the non-emergency phone line in nine English regions – but it now says it is “seeking to withdraw” from its contracts.

While officials said patients would continue to get a good service, the BMA said that some parts of the service were “in chaos”. A spokeswoman for NHS Direct said the contracts had become “financially unsustainable”.

The NHS 111 line has been dogged by problems since it was launched on April 1 after patients complained of unanswered calls and poor advice.

NHS England set up an inquiry after serious ­incidents, including three deaths, were linked to the service.

Originally, NHS Direct won 11 of the 46 contracts to run the service. Then it announced this month that it would be unable to provide a 111 line in North Essex and Cornwall.

Now it also plans to scrap it in Somerset, Bucks, areas of London, the West Midlands, Lancashire and Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Merseyside and Cheshire. It said it was preparing a “planned ­withdrawal” after projecting a £26million deficit in the coming financial year.

Chief executive Nick Chapman said: “We will continue to provide a reliable NHS 111 service until alternative arrangements can be made.”

NHS Direct ran into trouble in March with services in the North-west and the West Midlands when calls took “twice as long as expected”, leaving it unable to handle all the calls it received.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt is on a mission to reform the NHS

Some parts of NHS 111 are now in chaos and urgent action is needed to prevent this from having tragic consequences for patients

Peter Carter

Accounts for 2012/13 show local health providers refused to pay more than £7 to £9 for each call to cover staff salaries and other costs. During a pilot of the scheme, NHS Direct worked on the assumption that they would pay £13.

The report said: “The trust is not able to provide the 111 service within this lower cost range and the 111 contracts the trust has entered into are financially unsustainable.”

NHS England said it would ensure NHS Direct continued to provide services while new contract holders were found.

Chief executive Dame Barbara Hakin said they included ambulance trusts “who have experience and a strong track record in similar services”.

Health minister Lord Howe insisted patients would see “no difference at all” when new providers take over and that quality was not an issue. However, Peter Carter, general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, said: “Some parts of NHS 111 are now in chaos and urgent action is needed to prevent this from having tragic consequences for patients.”

Dr Chaand Nagpaul, head of the GP committee of the BMA, said: “The implementation and planning of NHS 111 has been an abject failure. A number of GPs and the BMA raised concerns during the tendering process about the low nature of some of the successful bids, which were ignored.”